Should we even take the All-Star Game seriously?
The recent NBA All-Star Game showcased the league’s greatest players going head to head. The All-Star weekend seemed to be one of the most hyped-up parts of the regular season. However, after watching the game, it’s hard to shake the feeling that it doesn’t really live up to its name. Yeah, the clash between Eastern and Western stars is pretty interesting in theory, but does it really serve a meaningful purpose to the league- or is it just a waste of our time?
Recalling the night of the game, last Sunday, I was nothing but excited. I told my Dad this, and he sternly emphasized how there would be “no defense played at all”. I brushed this off, as he’s always pretty critical of today’s NBA. He was, unfortunately, completely right. No one even tried at all to play any D. The final score was 186-211. It was record-breaking too. Legit just all offense the whole game. Last year, Boston’s very own Jaylen Brown called the game a “glorified layup line”.
The lack of Defense- or for some players, just not trying, is somewhat justified. No one wants to get hurt. After the All-Star weekend, you still have plenty of weeks left in the regular season. Would you really want to risk missing the playoffs because of a season-ending injury in such an irrelevant game?
We can see this mentality in the Dallas Mavs’ star, Luka Doncic. He claims that he’ll just “follow the lead” of other stars during the game and that he – and most players – don’t want to risk injury. Luka Doncic scored 73pts (Fourth most in the league) the other night, so it’s not like he’s a bad player- he just doesn’t feel like trying in a game that’s irrelevant to the rest of the season. The same goes for most of the players that night. Side note: I would like to mention that Doncic got 7 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds that night- and his jersey’s number is 77.
This year’s All-Star MVP ended up being Damian Lillard. Now I, personally, feel like he stole this from Tyrese Halliburton. Not only did the Pacers’ rookie score 15pts in a minute and a half (5 threes in a row, and a half-court shot), but the game was hosted in Indiana- home of the Pacers. But Dame scored the most points (39pts) (followed by our own Jaylen Brown (38pts)), so he does (technically) deserve it.
A beam of sunlight to me in this pointless game was none other than the ‘Greek Freak’, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Seeing his smile, upbeat attitude, and Greek accent kinda carries the whole experience. At the end of the game, following his and the East’s victory, he said his famous “Winner winner, chicken dinner!”, bringing a smile to my face. He was a great pick to lead the Eastern Conference Stars.
In contrast, there was a horrible pick for the All-Star game. They SOMEHOW decided it would be okay to have Draymond Green of all people to commentate for the game. This guy is a menace to the whole league and should be condemned. I mean, he punches and chokes players.
To get back on the subject, I’d like to continue on how I feel the All-Star game is and isn’t necessary for the league. As I mentioned previously, the whole All-Star weekend really isn’t important to any of the stars playing in it. It’s not gonna affect the rest of their season, and they shouldn’t let it. However, I do believe that there’s a sort of charm to it.
The dunks, half-court passes and shots, and seeing all these stars together is crazy. It’s not often you see guys like Jayson Tatum and Joel Embiid play for the same team. When I really think about it, the All-Star weekend is purely for our entertainment. That’s it.
So yeah, the game is stupid – that’s obvious – but it’s still pretty entertaining.
